Not planks or push-ups — sculpt your entire body with this 20-minute standing dumbbell workout

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Build your body, without the pressure on your wrists

a photo of a strong woman holding a set of dumbbells
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Sure, planks, push-ups, and burpees are great exercises to add to your workout routine, but if you suffer from wrist pain, they might not be the best for you. The good news is, that getting down on an exercise mat isn’t imperative to building a strong body, and this workout is here to prove it.

All you’ll need for this workout is a set of the best adjustable dumbbells. As always, it’s important to select the right weight for you and your body — the weight should make the exercise feel challenging, but not impossible by the final few reps. It’s important to always move with good form to avoid injury.

If you’re unsure about your form, or you’re returning to exercise following an injury or pregnancy, it’s always a good idea to check in with a personal trainer.

What is the workout?

The workout, designed by personal trainer Mikala who runs the fitbymik YouTube channel, includes a quick workout before moving into the exercises. You’ll do each set of exercises for 45 seconds, followed by a 25-second rest. For the workout, you’ll need a set of dumbbells, but if you don’t have any you could always use weight plates, or grab two heavy books.

Some of the exercises involve a combination of moves so that you’re hitting more than one muscle group at a time. Here’s an example of some of the moves in the workout:

  • Bicep curl squat: For this exercise, you’ll do a slow and controlled bicep curl, before moving into a squat.
  • Tricep extension reverse lunge: Here you’ll grab both, or one dumbbell and do a tricep extension, before raising the weight and holding it against your chest and completing a reverse lunge, switching the leg you lunge on each time.
  • Lunges: During the lunges section of this workout, Mikala switches between standard reverse lunges, and narrow stance lunges, targeting different muscles in the lower body.

You can follow along with Mikala as she moves through the workout. She offers form tips and modifications for beginners along the way.

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I tried this 20-minute standing dumbbell workout — here’s what I learned

Here on the Tom’s Guide fitness desk, we love trying new workouts, so I grabbed a set of 10lb dumbbells and gave this workout a try. Here’s what happened:

My arms ached in just 20-minutes

As a runner, I’m guilty of neglecting my arms during my workouts. I know the importance of doing squats and lunges to help sculpt strong leg muscles to avoid injuries as I train for my next marathon, but I don’t love training my arms. This workout left my upper body aching as I returned to my desk, despite being just 20 minutes long.

The combination of bicep curls, shoulder presses, and rows all worked my biceps and shoulders. I started off using my 10lb dumbbells for these exercises, and completed a drop set, switching to a 6lb set when I felt I couldn’t do any more reps. There are a number of benefits to training using drop sets — they can help build muscle and improve endurance.

I appreciated the warm-up and cool-down

This workout includes a quick warm-up and cool-down, which I appreciated as I fit this in on my lunch break. It’s always good to add a warm-up to your workout to get the blood flowing to your muscles to avoid tears and strains. Even a quick warm-up like this one is important if you’ve spent the morning sitting behind a desk, like I had.

I loved the mix of compound exercises

If you only have a short amount of time to do a workout, compound exercises are a great way to work more efficiently. Compound exercises work multiple muscle groups at the same time, and often burn more calories and improve intramuscular coordination, compared to isolation exercises. They also tend to improve your flexibility, and strengthen your muscles — important whatever you’re training for.

My verdict? If you’ve only got 20 minutes and you want to boost your heart rate and work your entire body, this is a great workout to add to your routine.

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Jane McGuire
Jane McGuire
Fitness editor

Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy. 

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